Jamileh Alamolhoda, wife of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, assured that the rule that toughens penalties for not wearing a hijab in public or dressing in an unseemly manner was made "out of respect for women." Alamolhoda accused the UN of lying about the numbers of deaths and arrests during the regime's brutal repression of protesters following the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian morality police for wearing a hijab. According to the Iranian first lady, these protests came due to an intervention by foreign powers that want to destabilize the country.
Iranian president's wife: Prison time for hijab law violations is "out of respect for women."
Watch the wide-ranging interview as @martharaddatz sits down with Jamileh Alamolhoda SUNDAY on @ThisWeekABC. https://t.co/JTRoV33P0l pic.twitter.com/KCFudHLa3L
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 21, 2023
'Breaking the law, as in any country, carries punishments'
During an interview on the program "This Week" on ABC, Raisi's wife assured that the approval of the new penalties came "out of respect for women." She claims that it simply turns the country's tradition into law, and justified that it is natural that those who do not comply with the laws are punished, "as in any country." Alamolhoda did not want to comment, however, when asked her opinion on whether the penalties are too harsh, claiming that she is not an expert in law.
It is out of respect for women. It is natural in any country, you have dress codes everywhere, even here in university environments, in schools and everywhere else. And I need to tell you that hijab was a tradition, was a religiously mandated tradition, accepted widely. And now for years it has been turned into a law. And breaking of the law, trampling upon any laws, just like in any country, comes with its own set of punishments.
Denial of UN repression figures
When the interviewer cited statistics on the arrests, murders and executions during the protests, Alamolhoda claimed that they were manipulated figures. "This event has been a big lie. I do think that things can happen of that nature in any country naturally." she said. Alamolhoda insisted that the riots are caused by "intentions of foreign governments who are keen to see other events occur in Iran." She even went so far as to point out "many died, but to defend the Islamic Republic of Iran."
As if that were not enough, the Iranian president's wife even denied that Amini died as a result of the beatings received by the guards in prison: "I was in constant contact with all the medical personnel involved in this case. She was ill, she had pre-existing conditions. She was loved by all of us. I'm a mother myself. And I do understand that the value of girls and women as a whole."
